B string issues

[Don Boyd]

Are there any five string players who have experienced the B string in comparison to the other four - lacks tone and sustain. I have purchased a new stingray five and put new D’Addario strings on it but find
The B string lacks vibrancy and sustain. Is this an issue with the set up? I have adjusted the pick ups so that they are slightly closer to the strings but this has not solved the issue. Anybody out who could shed some light on this issue?

 

[Optix]

I've been fighting this for years on my Ibanez SR305. I know the 305 is hardly a high-end bass, but I still expect the B to have some kind of life in it.

After multiple sets of strings of various gauges from various manufacturers and adjusting the pickup height, I'm convinced the issue is somewhere else like the bridge or the nut. The bridge actually bent and won't hold D string (the defective Ibanez B125 bridges have been well documented here on TalkBass), so that's my main suspicion.

While my 305 is out of action with the busted bridge I've been using my friend's Ibanez SR505 and the difference is jaw dropping. There's so much life in the B string - so much clarity and sustain compared to the muddy and dead sounding B I'm used to.

If the bass is very new and you picked it up from a shop, you could always take it in and show them what you're talking about. Compare it to another bass they have on the wall and see. My local shop, while I really like 'em, are utterly useless and keep blaming my Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats, which is NOT the case.

Unfortunately I don't have anything that might solve the problem, but you're not alone in chasing that magical B!

 

[IPRAYB4IPLAY]

I encountered this same problem with my Melvin Davis MLD 5 String which is a 24 inch scale bass. I put D'Addario's on it with that 135 on the B string and the B also didn't sound clear right out of the package. As you may know or may not, long scale basses produce a very clear sounding B however for us that have med to short scale basses what I have found is the bigger your B string such as a 135 on a med or short scale 5 string sounds muddy. What worked for me was to ( 1 ) switch to DR bass strings that offer a 125 on the B which allows the string to have less tension and vibrate more which also is night and day difference in the sound of your B string. The bigger the diameter 135 on a med to short scale bass the B just sucks. But if you shrink that diameter to a 125 it will sound a lot better because the string has time to vibrate longer with less tension on it. Hope this helps you bro. And again I am only commenting on what worked for me.

 

[Don Boyd]

Hey thanks for your responses - it could well be the string gauge- as the new strings I put on have a medium B gauge of 135 . I will swap them out and try a lower gauge B of 130 or less and see if this works !

 

[Zooberwerx]

A bad string install will do that and B's are particularly resistant to the man-handling required to get things in check.

Riis

 

[Don Boyd]

What aspect of installation?

 

[Zooberwerx]

What aspect of installation?

*Correct winding length. You don't want the full-thickness to "hit" the tuner post. A properly-sized string will transition to the taper between the nut and post.

*3+ wraps on the tuner post. This will help create the necessary break over the nut.

*Allow the ball-end to spin freely as you're tuning up. This minimizes the chance of twisting the string.

*Set your witness points at the tuner post, nut, and bridge saddle. This establishes a true vibrating ("speaking") string path. Anything less will result in wonky response, tuning, intonation, etc. The larger gauge strings are particularly resistant to bending.

Riis

 

[ixlramp]

the B string in comparison to the other four - lacks tone and sustain

That's normal, sounds like this is your first 5 string?

It's due to the large gauge (relative to scale length), and therefore stiffness, of the B.
34"/35" works ok for E but B and below is where significant problems arise.
This is why B strings in sets are much looser than the other strings, because many decide that the disadvantages of stiffness outweigh the benefits of equal tension.
A longer scale length would be optimum. A 40" scale (34" plus 3 extra frets) would result in the same flexibility as a 34" E by allowing the gauge to be reduced without reducing tension.

It's a dilemma: A smaller gauge B will be more flexible, but the lower tension gives it a darker tone and makes it prone to floppiness. A larger gauge B will have more tension, which helps to support and control the vibration, and creates more brightness, but then the stiffness works against a good tone. Some people prefer a B equal in tension to the E.
I recommend trying many different gauges from .110 to .145 to see what works for you.

The impotant thing is to use a B as flexible as possible for its gauge. Taperwound / contact-core / exposed core helps a lot.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

That's normal, sounds like this is your first 5 string?

It's due to the large gauge (relative to scale length), and therefore stiffness, of the B.
34"/35" works ok for E but B and below is where significant problems arise.
This is why B strings in sets are much looser than the other strings, because many decide that the disadvantages of stiffness outweigh the benefits of equal tension.
A longer scale length would be optimum. A 40" scale (34" plus 3 extra frets) would result in the same flexibility as a 34" E by allowing the gauge to be reduced without reducing tension.

It's a dilemma: A smaller gauge B will be more flexible, but the lower tension gives it a darker tone and makes it prone to floppiness. A larger gauge B will have more tension, which helps to support and control the vibration, and creates more brightness, but then the stiffness works against a good tone. Some people prefer a B equal in tension to the E.
I recommend trying many different gauges from .110 to .145 to see what works for you.

The impotant thing is to use a B as flexible as possible for its gauge. Taperwound / contact-core / exposed core helps a lot.

Try a round core string set .

 

[Brad Johnson]

I encountered this same problem with my Melvin Davis MLD 5 String which is a 24 inch scale bass. I put D'Addario's on it with that 135 on the B string and the B also didn't sound clear right out of the package. As you may know or may not, long scale basses produce a very clear sounding B however for us that have med to short scale basses what I have found is the bigger your B string such as a 135 on a med or short scale 5 string sounds muddy. What worked for me was to ( 1 ) switch to DR bass strings that offer a 125 on the B which allows the string to have less tension and vibrate more which also is night and day difference in the sound of your B string. The bigger the diameter 135 on a med to short scale bass the B just sucks. But if you shrink that diameter to a 125 it will sound a lot better because the string has time to vibrate longer with less tension on it. Hope this helps you bro. And again I am only commenting on what worked for me.

I use 120 to 125 B's on everything, from 33" to 36". My basses sound amazing. And I only use regular strings... no tapers, etc.

 

[Epitaph04]

D’addario doesnt make my favorite B strings. Try a different brand. Stingray B strings are very solid.

 

[Brad Johnson]

I encountered this same problem with my Melvin Davis MLD 5 String which is a 24 inch scale bass. I put D'Addario's on it with that 135 on the B string and the B also didn't sound clear right out of the package. As you may know or may not, long scale basses produce a very clear sounding B however for us that have med to short scale basses what I have found is the bigger your B string such as a 135 on a med or short scale 5 string sounds muddy. What worked for me was to ( 1 ) switch to DR bass strings that offer a 125 on the B which allows the string to have less tension and vibrate more which also is night and day difference in the sound of your B string. The bigger the diameter 135 on a med to short scale bass the B just sucks. But if you shrink that diameter to a 125 it will sound a lot better because the string has time to vibrate longer with less tension on it. Hope this helps you bro. And again I am only commenting on what worked for me.

Is the MLD 24" scale? I couldn't find one.

 

[fauxtoe]

It’s the strings. I went so far as to contact D’Addario to tell them I was receiving bum B strings and they sent me new packs of strings along with individual B strings. No luck so far. I use Modulus basses in both 34 and 35” scales and you know right away when a string doesn’t ring out properly. However, the Modulus branded sets made to their specs by D’Addario have worked really well. No dead B’s and nothing but clear tone. The B string feels noticeably thicker and more taught even though it’s the same .130 gauge as your average XL set. No idea why one B string feels different than the other, but it’s night and day once you play that first note.

 

[Don Boyd]

Thanks for your response. I will try all of your suggestions

Try a round core string set .

 

[Don Boyd]

I have restrung the bass with Ernie Ball regulars which have a .130 B string and the tone is way better. However, another interesting situation has arisen:- I had lowered the action from when I first got the bass, and with the Ernie Ball strings I started getting fret buzz in all sorts of places, which leads me to believe that these strings in general are more flexible creating more vibration and therefore more fret buzz. I suppose I have to accept that better tone can only be achieved with more flexible strings and play with a higher action - especially as this bass I have bought more for rock gigs and keep my Tobias more for music theatre and jazz!

 

[IPRAYB4IPLAY]

Yes the MLD 5 is 24 inch scale. So you said you switched over to Ernie Ball regs with a 135 on your B and lowered your action, ok here you have a similar issue. you lowered your strings closer to the fret board. So now we are not talking about tone now we have buzz issues. Ok you just lowered your 135 B string in diameter closer to the fret in other words there is very little space between that string and the fret which produces dead spots all over the place. Rule of thumb here is if you lower your strings by turning you trust rod or the saddles you must use a string or strings smaller in diameter to keep that space between frets, visversa if you raise your string or string then you can get away with using bigger diameter string without fret buzz. And one major issue you really need to consider is your neck does not have a bow in it or should I say its not bent not even slightly. This will also give you dead spots no matter what size strings you use, but I think you said your bass was brand new. My suggestion is to take that bass to a repair shop with a set of string you like that has a 125 B string and let them do a professional set up on it. shouldn't cost no more than 30 to 60 bucks depending on the shop you have do it. Whatever you do don't take your bass to a freakin guitar center or any other Walmart type guitar store to have it done. They are just as I said walmarts of guitar stores. Take it to a private owner that has been in business for many years if you have one near you.